Crypto_News

Phishing scams targeting digital currencies issued by Japanese municipalities are on the rise, with vulnerabilities exposed in local reward programs. Fraudsters have exploited the reward programs to gain nearly half a million dollars in fraudulent premiums. As the popularity of digital regional currencies grows, authorities are urging municipalities to improve security measures, such as strengthening identity verification and credit card restrictions. However, officials warn that phishing-related theft is difficult to prevent entirely.

A QUANT holder who got “rugged” after the token’s 13-year-old developer sold his holdings retaliated by allegedly kidnapping the boy’s dog and launching a meme coin called Bari QUANT named after it.

Reports of the kidnapping initially started circulating on X after several users claimed that an

Bitcoin's current rally appears to be backed by whale accumulation over several months. CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju notes that Bitcoin's price surge needs to maintain mining profitability and traders shorting could fuel the bull market with a short squeeze. Ju, who previously called for a short-term correction, is committed to speaking up if a bear market appears to be confirmed. As of press time, BTC is trading at $97,444, up 160% since the start of the year.

The European Central Bank is concerned about the delays in the digital euro project and is urging faster action to avoid falling behind global competitors as 13 out of 20 countries in eurozone lack a national card scheme. The ECB launched a CBDC exploration project in October 2021, but the digital euro can only move forward when the legal framework is finalized by the European Parliament and Council. The ECB stresses the need for urgency to ensure that the digital euro will be available when needed, stating that Europe is still at the forefront of CBDC development.

Tron founder Justin Sun paid $6.2 million for the banana duct-taped to a wall sculpture at a Sotheby's auction, and plans to eat it, stating it represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community. Sun received a certificate of authenticity and a starter kit including a roll of duct tape and an instruction manual on how the piece should be presented, according to Bloomberg. The sculpture debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach last year, where it became a meme and was replicated as merchandise.

Two new arrests have been made in the case of cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi's murder, with Darius Perry and Nackael Hickey charged with kidnapping and accessory. This follows the earlier arrest of Joanie Lepage on a murder charge. Mirshahi disappeared in June and his body was found four months later, with police believing the murder took place in a home in Quebec. The authorities are investigating whether Mirshahi's cryptocurrency connections and regulatory issues played a role in his death.

Biopharmaceutical firm Acurx Pharmaceuticals plans to buy up to $1m worth of bitcoin as a "treasury reserve asset", using its characteristics as a "functional store of value". The company's shares rose 6.6% to trade at $1.78 after the news was announced. CEO David P. Luci said the purchase was a "finance strategy and has no impact on our overarching drug development plans".

Bitcoin ETFs in the US saw consecutive days of inflows, with over $773m entering the market as the cryptocurrency hit a new all-time high of $97,836. In the past three trading days, cumulative inflows surpassed $1.8bn, with most going to BlackRock's IBIT ETF. BlackRock's ETF has achieved close to $30bn in total net inflows and is the dominant player in the Bitcoin ETF market. Other ETFs, such as Fidelity’s FBTC ETF and ARK and 21Shares’ ARKB, also saw notable contributions.

Traditional asset managers like Grayscale and Bitwise are considering new crypto index funds, focusing on Solana, Ripple, and Hedera Hashgraph. This shows a growing interest among institutional investors seeking more diverse exposure to cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. Ambitious ETF filings suggest other established cryptocurrencies like Cardano and Avalanche will follow the same path. With regulatory clarity improving, the market could see a breakthrough for altcoin ETFs by 2024.

Bitcoin hits new all-time high of $95,672, with a surge of 3.55% in the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency hit $95,000 for the first time on November 20, with the next target being $100,000. The US election and Bitcoin ETF trading options have aided the rise. Michael Saylor, the Chairman of MicroStrategy, predicts the $100k price before the end of the year, while Bernstein Research aims for $200k by 2025.

Grayscale Investment LLC begins options trading of its Bitcoin ETF products today following BlackRock's IBIT options trading, reaching $1.9bn in a day. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and the mini trust version (BTC) are the second Bitcoin-related product to be traded in options on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Arca, along with Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB). Analysts say BlackRock's exposure is one of the biggest options for trading on the first day and supports Bitcoin's prices up to $94,041 as it hit a new all-time high on 20 November.

CEX.IO's updated liquidity aggregation engine enhances order book, minimizes price discrepancies, and reduces slippage, offering lower transaction costs and a more stable trading experience, according to a press release. The platform has climbed into the top five exchanges for liquidity since the rollout, available for spot trading across all jurisdictions. Leveraged margin trading is available in select regions, in compliance with local regulations.

Cardano (ADA) surged to an intraday high of $0.830, its highest level since March 2021, as Bitcoin reached a record high and fear and greed index jumped to 84. The rally is driven by November seasonality, optimism surrounding the incoming Trump administration, and the Federal Reserve's dovish tone signaling interest rate cuts into 2025. Analysts remain bullish on Cardano with a potential long-term increase of 1,100% from the current level. Cardano's price is likely to continue rising, with bulls targeting the 50% Fibonacci retracement level at $1.60.

After the CryptoZoo lawsuit, new evidence reported by the BBC alleges that American YouTuber Logan Paul misled followers by promoting meme coins on his social media accounts and subsequently selling them

A report published by the BBC on Nov. 20 takes a deep dive into Logan Paul’s crypto-related

South Korea's Democratic Party plans to implement a 20% cryptocurrency tax from Jan. 2025, with an additional 2% local tax imposed on profits over $35,919. The new law has been delayed twice following pushback from investors. The country's legislative assembly is set to review a proposal to abolish the tax altogether in November. The new framework aims to help stabilize the market and ease investor concerns.

Galaxy Digital plans to offer a $300 million private placement of exchangeable senior notes due 2029 to enhance its data center in West Texas and support corporate initiatives. The net proceeds of the offering will be utilised to develop high-performance computing infrastructure and the reorganization of the company to the US.

The price of Dogecoin remains in consolidation phase after a rapid rise. However, investors are watching the sector as the new Trump administration could favor cryptocurrencies. The strong demand for Dogecoin is illustrated by a daily trading volume of 14 billion dollars. Analysts also expect a continued rise to reach a price of 0.82 dollars. However, this will no longer be applicable if the price falls below the support level of 0.3412 dollars.